It isn’t often that we get to experience a milestone birthday for our great country, so of course, Southwest didn’t miss the opportunity to celebrate BIG. In dual tribute to our own 55th anniversary and partnership with the America250 initiative honoring America’s founding, we proudly unveiled Independence One, a special new livery with a unique Declaration of Independence theme (fitting for the airline known for democratizing the skies).

Southwest Airlines came into being with the odds stacked against it. Always the scrappy fighter, the Company learned early on how to “bob and weave” when facing challenges—and few in our history were more impactful than the operational effect of winter storm Elliott in 2022. That event set in motion unprecedented, radically transformative changes at Southwest over the next few years. It was a humbling time yet also a moment ripe with opportunity.

Southwest is exceedingly proud of our Customer-facing Employees who often get well-deserved attention and accolades, but so many Employees work tirelessly behind the scenes. In response, under the auspices of the Companywide Culture Committee, Colleen Barrett created Heroes of the Heart to celebrate a behind-the-scenes Team or workgroup rather than an individual.

Imagine starting your new job like a Hollywood star arriving at a film premiere. You are greeted by a crowd cheering your entrance as you sweep in on a red carpet to your Employee orientation. Far-fetched? Nope, it’s a standard opening day at Southwest Airlines University (SWA U).

As 2020 dawned, Southwest was poised for another banner year. But in less than a month, everything changed. January brought reports of a dangerous new virus spreading rapidly around the globe, one that would dramatically impact life as we know it. In particular, it brought the travel and tourism industry to a near-standstill, affecting every related business, from hotels to entertainment events to restaurants, and, of course, airlines.

In Southwest’s early years, Founder Herb Kelleher and President Emeritus Colleen Barrett had faced seemingly endless hurdles—legally and operationally—pretty much on all fronts. As former Senior Vice President Culture & Communications Ginger Hardage recalled, “The incredible thing that Herb and Colleen set up from the very beginning was active involvement of all Employees.”